ASIA

INTERESTING FACTS:

1. Asia produces more than half of the world’s tin

2. China, Malaysia, and Indonesia are among the world’s leading tin producers
3. China and India have iron ore deposits
4. China leads in the production of lead, antimony and tungsten
5. Asia also has deposits of manganese, bauxite, nickel, zinc and copper

MINERALS FOUND IN ASIA

COAL

USE/S: The most significant uses of coal are in electricity generation, steel production,

cement manufacturing and as a liquid fuel. Steam coal - also known as thermal coal - is
mainly used in power generation. Coking coal - also known as metallurgical coal - is
mainly used in steel production

Asia has enormous reserves of coal, amounting to nearly three-fifths of the

world’s total, but they are unevenly distributed. The largest reserves are found in
Siberia, the Central Asian republics, India, and especially China; Indonesia, Japan,
and North Korea have smaller but nevertheless economically important reserves.
China has chiefly high-grade coal reserves. Every province has at least one
coalfield, but the largest reserves are in Shanxi and Shaanxi in the Ordos River
basin in the north
IRON ORE

USE/S: The primary use of iron ore is in the production of iron. Most of the iron produced
is then used to make steel. Steel is used to make automobiles, locomotives, ships,
beams used in buildings, furniture, paper clips, tools, reinforcing rods for concrete,
bicycles, and thousands of other items.

Many regions of Asia have deposits of iron ore, although not every country
has its own domestic supply. South Korea, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and several smaller
countries in Southwest Asia appear to have only small iron ore supplies. Japan has
far less than is needed by its large iron and steel industry and depends largely on
imported supplies. The Philippines exports ore. Malaysia produces a considerable
volume. Thailand, Myanmar, and Pakistan have fair amounts of relatively low-grade
ores, and Vietnam and Turkey have good ores in substantial volume. Indonesia and
India both have large deposits of good iron ores that are reasonably distributed.

TIN

USE/S: Tin has many uses. It takes a high polish and is used to coat other metals to
prevent corrosion, such as in tin cans, which are made of tin-coated steel. Alloys
of tin are important, such as soft solder, pewter, bronze and phosphor bronze. A
niobium-tin alloy is used for superconducting magnets.

China is the leading producer of tin in the world and many of its large
companies are related to the production of this metal. The tin producing
important regions are Yunnan province and the Guangxi Zhuang region. The net
exports of tin is recorded at 26,300 metric tonnes but recently the country
decided to cut 40% of its tin exports in the wake of call from the government. The
companies related to tin production are Yunnan Tin Group that produces 40,000
metric tonnes and Yunnan Chengfeng produces 20,000 metric tonnes. The metal
is mainly used in solders, electrical construction and tin production. One-third of
the world’s production comes from Indonesia and is mainly extracted from
Belitung and the Bangka Islands. The country exports 100,000 metric tonnes of
tin annually and 90% of it comes from these Islands. The metal is also produced
through recycling of pure tin that is 8% and other than PT Timah Company, there
are many small smelters operating in these areas. The main products include tin
alloys, low lead tin, tin ingots, chemicals and solder.

LEAD

USE/S: Lead is still widely used for car batteries, pigments, ammunition, cable
sheathing, weights for lifting, weight belts for diving, lead crystal glass, radiation
protection and in some solders. It is often used to store corrosive liquids

China produced 2.4 million MT of lead last year, up slightly from its 2016
output of 2.34 million MT. Interestingly, the increase came even as the country
suffered mine and smelter closures.

According to Reuters, those ongoing shutdowns across China contributed to the

lead price rise at the end of 2017, and production of the metal is expected to fall
further in the future due to pollution problems and environmental inspections.
Stockpiles have been dwindling as a result, and production numbers could be lower
in 2018.

ZINC

USE/S: Zinc oxide is widely used in the manufacture of very many products such as
paints, rubber, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, plastics, inks, soaps, batteries, textiles and
electrical equipment.

World zinc reserves are estimated at 250 million tons. Australia has the
largest share of about 28% of world reserves, followed by China with 17%, Peru
with 7.1%, Mexico with 6.4%, India with 4.8% and U.S. with 4.4% as per the data
released by the US Geological Survey (USGS).
 
Mine production of zinc is increasing steadily at an average annual growth rate of
about 3.3% per annum during the period 2007 to 2012. However, according to the
estimates of International Lead and Zinc Study Group, zinc mine production has
increased only at about 2.6% per annum in the corresponding period. Further, zinc
metal production has increased only at about 2% per annum during 2007 to 2012. 
 Table 1: World zinc mine production (1000 tons)
  2009 2010 2011 2012
China 3330 3700 4310 4600
Australia 1513 1470 1520 1490
Peru 736 748 1260 1270
United 695 700 769 748
India 384 518 710 690
Canada 699 649 612 640
Mexico 442 459 632 630
Bolivia 431 411 427 430
Kazakhstan 386 342 495 420
Ireland 225 269 340 345
Other 1290 1479 1730 1770
World 11500 12200 12800 13000

COPPER

USES/S: As a result of its excellent electrical conductivity, copper's most common use is in

electrical equipment such as wiring and motors. Because it corrodes slowly, copper is used in
roofing, guttering, and as rainspouts on buildings. It is also used in plumbing and in cookware
and cooking utensils.

Asia is not richly endowed with copper. In Central Asia the main sites are Olmaliq,
southeast of Tashkent (Uzbekistan); Zhezkazgan, west of Qaraghandy; and Qongyrat,
on Lake Balkhash (Kazakhstan). In Siberia, production is mainly from the Kuznetsk
Basin. Japan’s once widespread copper ore reserves are no longer worked, and the
Philippines has limited reserves. China has deposits in Gansu, Hebei, Anhui, and Hubei,
but production is insignificant. Turkey, Myanmar, Malaysia, Mongolia, India, and North
Korea have small reserves.

MANGANESE

USE/S: Manganese is too brittle to be of much use as a pure metal. It is mainly used in alloys,
such as steel. Steel contains about 1% manganese, to increase the strength and also improve
workability and resistance to wear.